Movie Review - True Grit

This is a film that I had been looking forward to for some time; the Coen brothers are master filmmakers and the entire cast gave me hope that this would be a great movie. While not an original story (this film is a remake of the John Wayne film of the same name) it is a story very well told and is a solid western.

Having not seen the original, I can't make any comparisons here, but True Grit is fantastically shot and acted; Jeff Bridges is completely at home as Rooster Cogburn, and Matt Damon shines in his role as a cocky Texas Ranger. Josh Brolin, while a good actor, doesn't really get a chance to flex in his role as Tom Cheney, the villain of the story, which is a slight disappointment.  Hailie Steinfeld as Mattie Ross is fantastic, with a nearly tangible energy exuding form her character.

The cinematagrophy, done by Roger Deakins isn't really up to par with his other work (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, No Country for Old Men), but it is generally pleasing and very competently done. The last 10-15 minutes of the film, however, are shot fantastically and really showed Deakins talent for shots.

A minor complaint I would have for this movie is that there aren't any real brilliant moments here, and coming from the Coen brothers I did have somewhat higher expectations; everything is good and even really good, but there's no moments that really made me sit and and say "wow". As I said above, however, the final 10-15 minutes of the film really save the movie for me, with brilliant interplay between music an cinematagrophy which really show the talent of the directors. I wish the entire film had been shot in that style, honestly.

All in all, this is a good, solid western; full of gunplay, showdowns, villainous villains, rough cut good guys and a good story. While not a brilliant, genre defining movie, True Grit is definitely worth your time to see and so far is one of the better films to come out this year.

Movie Review - Good Night, and Good Luck.

Good Night, and Good Luck is a film set in one of the most tumultuous periods in American history, the post-WWII communist scares of the 40s and 50s. The movie is centered on Edward R. Murrow, the television journalist who brought down Joe McCarthy, the man who was more or less terrorizing America with allegations of communists under every rock.

This is a fairly low-key movie; the music is mostly soft jazz, the dialogue is soft-spoken and there's no special effects or stunts. Lots of archived footage is shown here, and at times that's all thats being shown. The film is shot in black and white and filmed in a low-key style that every once in a while feels like a documentary.

While this is a low-key movie, that doesn't mean that it's a weak movie. The dialogue here is strong and is really what carries the film. Strathairn delivers some terrific speeches and monologues as Edward R. Murrow, and every one of the films large cast of notable talent (George Clooney, Robert Downy Jr., Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels and many more) delivers terrific performances. 

While there isn't a lot of flash in this movie, Good Night and Good Luck is a fantastic period film that sheds light on a very important time in American history and some of the men who stood up to Joe McCarthy and his crazed anti-communist vigilantism. This movie is slow however, and will probably stretch the patience of those not used to films like this; but if you can stick it out you'll definitely find that it was worth your time. Good Night, and Good Luck is a movie I highly recommend to anyone who wants a good, slow-paced and well filmed movie.

Movie Review - Toy Story 3

Trilogies can be tricky things, especially when the first parts are universally deemed to be excellent films; Toy Story 1 and 2 are two of the most popular American films ever produced. I've yet to meet anyone who doesn't like Toy Story, and that fact alone means that the bar for a third installment in the series better be of equal or greater caliber. It's also difficult because no matter what, the third installment of anything will always be compared to the first two, and when the third isn't as good this can make it seem even worse.

Toy Story 3 on its own is a pretty decent film. There's an abundance of clever jokes, references to other Pixar films and as always the animation is top notch. Unfortunately, compared to the first two Toy Story Movies, it falls a little flat. I suppose the easiest way to describe how I feel is that while the first two films can be both enjoyed and also critically examined and still prove to be excellent films, Toy Story 3 fails to hold itself up on really close inspection. So as a fun movie to go see with friends, this does pretty good. As a serious piece of film, not so much.

There's a lot packed into this movie, with 2 main plot points and so many characters being added that the movie's slightly over 1 and a half hour time doesn't allow for any breathing room; it's a rush from one bit or disaster to the next with no time to develop characters or subplots like the first two movies did so well. That's not to say that they're not enjoyable or well done, but it almost feels as if you're watching a series of short films strung together than one cohesive movie. There's not as much background given to the toys present circumstance; I felt that a flashback or two would have given a lot more depth to the movie. The end of the movie was somehting I honestly thought was really weak and not thought through all the way, as it's just too unbelievable and reaches for emotion that it just doesn't produce.

I did enjoy this movie however, and there were so many clever jokes, one liners and plain old goofy things going on that I was kept laughing for the majority of the film, so my advice would be to go see it as nothing more than 104 minutes of brilliantly animated silliness. While not as good as the first Toy Story movies, Toy Story 3 is a decent ending to what is probably one of the most loved series of movies to come out of America. I'd recommend this be watched with nothing more than a desire to laugh and be entertained, as that's all I think this was really meant to be.

Movie Review - The Book of Eli

This was a potentially interesting take on the post-apocalyptic genre of film, and I was genuinely interested in seeing it. It's concept was something fairly untapped in recent film, and I liked the idea of books being so valuable in the post-apocalyptic world. Unfortunately for me, this movie was somehting of a letdown.

Here's what I liked: The main character, Eli, had a good moral compass. I like that a lot. He prays to God, has good values and refuses to compromise sexually. There's some really cool action sequences, the cinematagrophy is excellent and the acting is good, which is no surprise since its Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman. There's some thought provoking material here, and the script is fairly solid.

Here's what I didn't like: The execution is shaky. I wasn't aware Eli was supposed to be blind until some time after I saw the movie, and I don't really think he was. There were scenes that left me puzzled, such as when he gets shot from behind, but nothing happens and he continues walking on. I didn't know if the shot had missed, been deflected, or what. Eli shooting a cat with his bow and arrow, if he was blind, seems really implausible. Did he acquire these skills previously, are they divine or what? That was never answered. There's a sense of "seen it before" through the whole film; the villains are all suitably evil-looking, the main bad guy (Oldman) is a good villain but just seems cliche. Eli is a typical loner, wandering down his road on his God-given quest. Not a bad story, but nothing really innovative. The violence tries far too hard to be shocking, hard hitting and almost...philosophical and ends up being in bad taste more than anything.

There is one scene though, towards the second third of the film if I remember rightly, in which Eli and his companion wander into the home of some very friendly people that turns out to be an almost fatal decision that was brilliantly filmed. Without giving it away, I can say this was a perfect, eerie, unsettling scene that really made me sit up and pay attention. Kudos to the director and crew for filming that scene so well.

It certainly is a good film to look at; the colours are interesting, the camera-work is terrific. I wish that most of the really neat action scenes hadn't been shown in every trailer, as I felt that that they showed all the best parts in the trailers. Timing was also bad here, as The Book of Eli was released within a very short time as The Road, and since both movies have nearly identical plots it really took away from The Book of Eli.

All this isn't to say its a bad film; it just could have been better. Too much time was spent trying to philosophize in a Matrix-esque way, and this took away from the overall movie, I think. Had 20 or 30 minutes cut out of it and some of the weaker segments of philosophical/ethical discussions that take place been cut out, I thank it would have fared a lot better. Overall, this is a plain okay film that isn't terrible, but isn't anything amazing.

Movie Review - The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

When you think of a Western, the first thing to usually pop into your head is a shootout. Shootouts and Westerns go together like Star Wars films and lightsaber duels; they're more or less the focus of both. Also typical of Westerns are bar fights, carriage robberies, Mexican standoffs, horse chases and lassoing. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford has none of those. This isn't a Sergio Leone gunslinging epic, in fact guns are only drawn a few brief times in the whole film. This is a film that focuses on acting, cinematagrophy and dialogue to tell an amazing story that just happens to be set in the Old American West.

First off, the acting here is some of the finest I have ever seen. Brad Pitt, as Jesse James gives a performance that is up there with some of the all time greats, going form insane to gentle and back again with an ease that I've rarely seen. This is definitely one of the highlights of his entire career in my mind. Casey Affleck, playing Robert Ford is just as good though, giving something of an eerie and uneasy feel to his character that adds to the entire feel of the movie. While these two are the powerhouses, every single actor/actress here is in top form and leaves nothing to be desired. It's rare that such a large cast does such a brilliant job all around.

Secondly is the cinematagrophy, which is as brilliant as the acting. I've only seen a few movies shot this well and with minimal digital assistance (if any). The colors and lighting are honestly perfect, and coupled with the actual camera-work perfectly set the tone for the whole movie. Real feelings of nostalgia, dreariness and unease are made real simply through the cinematagrophy. 10/10 for every shot being nothing less than beautiful.

Lastly is the dialogue. Dialogue is a big point for me in movies, and this film certainly delivers. While hard to understand some of the soft, southern-accented mutterings, the dialogue here is top notch in every way. Banter between Jesse and Robert Ford turns deadly and back to normal with almost frightening ease. Like the cinematagrophy, every line is carefully crafted to fit perfectly with the scene at hand.

Another element of the movie that is probably my favorite is the score, done by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis. The music here is beautiful, perfectly and brilliantly capturing the sad, nostalgic feel of the movie and giving a real dreamy quality to the films narration. Comprised of mostly piano and violins, these sad and haunting tunes are another of the pieces that really make this movie so good. Nick Cave and Warren Ellis are fantastic artists, and in my opinion this is their best soundtrack they've yet made. Sad, ominous, eerie, the duo does it all here.

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is definitely not for those seeking a standard shoot-em-up western.When the violence does emerge though, it is in very brief and intense blasts, sometimes lasting no longer than a gunshot. This movie is long, and very slow; I'd actually say one of the longest and slowest I've seen.  It is also one of the most dreary movies I've seen; there's no cheer or laughter or comic relief to be found here. It can drag on at times, particularly towards the middle of the movie, so viewers beware. However, a combination of some of the best acting and cinematagrophy make this a must see, in my opinion. Devoid of any cliches of the Western genre, this film is one of my favorites and a movie I highly recommend.

Movie Review - Robin Hood

I will be blunt with this. Robin Hood was not as good as I was hoping for it to be. This was a plain old not very good movie, which was really disappointing. Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe have done some fantastic movies together and on their own, but this is definitely not one of them.

Throughout this movie, there was just an overwhelming sense of...almost laziness. The characters of Robin Hood, Marion, Will Scarlet, Allan a Dale, Little John, the Sheriff of Nottingham are never really expanded on and developed; most of them with the exceptions of Robin and Marion remain mostly background characters. The scenes feel rushed, as if all that was really wanted was to do as many cool battle/action scenes as possible, and even those aren't all that impressive. While Rusell Crowe is a brilliant actor, the portrayal of Robin Hood here is actually boring in spots, as is Cate Blanchett as Marion of Locksley. This isn't entirely their fault though as the script is very, very weak. The dialogue is totally unremarkable and simply doesn't do anything. It is some words spoken by actors. That's it. Even the scenes where "epic" speeches are given fall flat; there's just no fire in the script. Like I said before, the script just feels rushed, like it's just filler in between "epic" fight and battle scenes that aren't that cool, which is really disappointing considering some of the movies Scott has made that incorporate those. The story is just plain simplistic, weak and not even well thought out. The movie as a whole suffers from flat out poor script writing.

There's not a whole lot more to say on this film...it wasn't a terrible film, but it certainly wasn't amazing or exceptional or even memorable. There's just nothing here really but negatives: next to no character development, flimsy dialogue and half-hearted battles scenes. Ridley Scott has done some terrific period epics, like Gladiator and Kingdom of Heaven that really are terrific movies, but Robin Hood is nowhere near as good as those. I'm hard pressed to find any real big redeeming factors about this movie, but it's just so mediocre and halfhearted I can't really find any. I don't really recommend this movie, as there's really nothing to see here.

Movie Review - Watchmen

Zack Snyder, director of 300 and Dawn of The Dead, decided to tackle one of the most complex and in depth  pieces of modern fiction ever penned, the graphic novel Watchmen. Translating this 12 volume work to the big screen was obviously something of a challenge, as the extremely complex ideas, psychologies, mythologies and many plots and subplots were all crucial to the story itself. In bringing Watchmen to film, Zack Snyder made not only a terrific adaption of the novel but also one of my favorite films of all time. 

This is not a normal superhero movie, and it is definitely not an action film. In fact, this is basically a long, slow, dialogue filled drama that happens to have a few action scenes in it. For those looking for cheap thrills and predictable heroes, look elsewhere . The "heroes", which I use loosely (since with the exception of one, none have any real powers) are from all different walks of life; one of the main ideas behind the novel was to create several radically different views of the world and let the reader decide which was best, and radical they are. From the brutal black and white moral absolutism of Rorshach (played by Jackie Earl Hayley) to the equally brutal and extreme amorality of The Comedian (played by Jeffery Dean Morgan) to the morally relative Nite Owl and Silk Spectre (played by Patrick Wilson and Malin Ackerman)  to the uncaring god-like Dr. Manhattan, played by Billy Crudup), the differences in world views and vast and thought provoking. The philosophizing and ethical dialogue here is worthy of very close study and honestly have given me hours and hours of thought and even debate as to some of their meanings and implications, but since this is a film review and not a philosophy class I'll leave that for another post.  

Watchmen is very, very stylized, and those who saw 300 will have a pretty good idea how this movie will look. While the stylization is frequent, it's all done very tastefully and never comes off as overdone, though it certainly is over the top. But there lies one of Zack Snyders strengths: making overdoing and overdone look really, really, cool. This is a dark, bleak, violent and sometimes disturbing movie though, make no mistake about it. The novel itself was all of those things, but the film takes it to another level. There's scenes of violence here that are genuinely hard to watch, simply because of the brutality of it all, and I have to say there's a few places where I disapproved of the way a scene was portrayed. Theres two in particular that I dislike, and both were dramatically altered from the novel in ways that leave me to think that Snyder was going more for shock value than artistic integrity. So as a warning to those faint of heart, this is a hard movie to watch.

However, despite the dark and in places film-noir feel of the movie, it does have it's lighter moments, and you'll know exactly when those are when the music cues. The soundtrack here is one of the best I've heard; while composed mostly of pop hits such as Bob Dylans The Times are a Changin, Simon and Garfunkels The Sounds of Silence and Jimi Hendrix's version of All Along the Watchtower every song fits absolutely perfectly with the scene at hand. Kudos to the man behind the music selection and editing for doing a brilliant job.

Watchmen, with it's cynical look at humanity and bleak outlook on life, is a very, very interesting film. While not the most true adaption to the book as it could have been, Snyder and Co. have done a fantastic job brining to the big screen one of the most well-written stories ever. Watchmen, in my mind, has also set the bar for superhero movies. Shying away from predictable plots and plot devices, Watchmen is a thought provoking, deep and interesting take on humanity, that also happens to be one of the most entertaining and satisfying movies I've seen in a long, long time. 

Movie Review - The Road

When I went to see this movie with 2 of my friends, their first reaction was to say how depressing this movie was, to which I strongly disagree. This movie is NOT depressing. It is very sad, very bleak and at times quite dark, but it is not depressing. The reason this movie is not depressing is because of two simple things: love and hope. Love, because that is the one thing holding the father and son (hereafter referred to as the Man and the Boy) together as they travel through a gray, dead and violent world. Hope, because that is what continues to push the Man and the Boy along the Road when their journey seems all but doomed.

Directed by John Hillcoat, (who also directed the brilliant "The Proposition,") starring Viggo Mortensen and with music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis (who did the music for The Proposition and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), this film met and exceeded all my expectations, and in my opinion surpassed the book in conveying the emotions felt by the Man and the Boy on their long, lonely and dangerous journey.

Bleak, gray, lifeless landscapes dominate the film; there is next to no color, cheer or happiness to be found here. Violent and cannibalistic bands of marauders roam at will, and this is made extremely clear in one eerie and disturbing sequence in which the Man and Boy narrowly escape from one such bands house. Not all the film is so dark though, and one particularly moving scene where the Man and Boy find a large cache of food and blankets brought a tear to my eye. I've seen very few scenes which have that level of love and emotion portrayed so well.

The cinematography is simple, yet very effective. Wide and evocative shots reminiscent of The Proposition sneak in on occasion, but for the most part simplicity reigns, and reigns well. Every single shot is well thought and has a purpose; there's no filler shots here.

Music is absolutely brilliant and the high point of the movie, with very delicate piano dominating. From very sad and somber to more lighthearted to almost bluesy, Nick Cave and Warren Ellis pull off another perfect scoring job. Rarely have I heard a score that so perfectly conveys the emotions that the characters are going through; I cannot praise the music here enough.

The Road is one of the best movies I have seen in a long, long time, and I'll be sorely disappointed if it isn't up for a Best Picture or Best Director award at the Oscars. I highly, highly recommend this movie; by far one of the most moving pictures to be released in some time.

Movie Review - Public Enemies

Mediocre is not really a thing that any person, film, song, book or food wants to be. Mediocre, from Dictionary.Reference.com is defined as "of only ordinary or moderate quality; neither good nor bad; barely adequate," and I don't know if I've ever seen a movie more worthy of that description. Complete and utter mediocrity is the only way I can describe this film, which is highly disappointing, as the potential for an excellent period gangster piece is clearly visible.

I'll start with the casting first; the only real notable talent here would be Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. Johnny Depp plays John Dillinger with almost...laziness; there's nothing fiery or dashing or charming about Public Enemy #1 here. Christian Bale gives his standard stoic and in my opinion, boring, performance as Melvin Purvis, the guy in charge of catching Dillinger and his gang of bank robbers; again, nothing moving or really provoking in this performance. Sadly, the rest of the cast follows suit, and not a single performance stands out. Character development is next to non-existent, and there were times when someone would be shot or be talking and I wouldn't know who their name was. I actually thought that John Dillinger had died at one point when he had somehow just vanished out the scene at hand with no explanation, only to reappear later randomly. Very poor job on the characters.

The dialogue is weak as well, consisting of grunts, shouts, and a couple of really poor Southern accents. Nothing at all to write home about, the dialogue here is just flat out weak. Every once in a while a snappy line will creep in, but other than that, nothing special at all.

My biggest gripe would be the camera work; the film is dominated by hand-held documentary-styled shots, which is extremely irritating when used poorly and too frequently. There are movies which have made excellent use of this style of camera work, but this looks downright cheap and amateur-ish in parts, and is really a low point for the movie. There are points in the movie where it quite literally looks like your viewing a home movie sent to Americas Funnies Home Videos, and I was extremely disappointed/irritated by this. However, in one gun-battle sequence, the shaky camera work is used to great effect and adds a lot of chaos to the scene; this is an example of using shaky camera work well. For the rest of the movie, it simply makes it look very sloppy. The brief attempts at more graphic violence and brutal treatment of criminals came across as distasteful, and I suspect were only inserted to appeal to fans of more "hardcore" gangster movies, but do nothing to really advance the story. I have no problem with ultra-violence, but this was just done poorly.

I suppose if I had to summarize my thoughts for this movie, it would be that Public Enemies is little more than a 2nd or 3rd rate Untouchables. The film is without direction and cannot decide if it wished to be a mystery/chase/gangster like The Road to Perdition, a vigilante police officer/gangster film like the Untouchables or a more relationship-centered movie; and by reason of trying to spread itself out too much ends up succeeding at none of the above. Public Enemies, as I stated above, is a thoroughly mediocre film, and I can't find any reason to recommend it to anyone.

Movie Review - Inglorious Basterds

"We will be cruel to the Germans, and through our cruelty they will know who we are. And they will find the evidence of our cruelty in the disemboweled, dismembered, and disfigured bodies of their brothers we leave behind us. And the German won't not be able to help themselves but to imagine the cruelty their brothers endured at our hands, and our boot heels, and the edge of our knives. And the German will be sickened by us, and the German will talk about us, and the German will fear us. And when the German closes their eyes at night and they're tortured by their subconscious for the evil they have done, it will be with thoughts of us they are tortured with."


With that forceful declaration, the tone is set for Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino's WWII revenge epic. Packed with savage violence, witty and engaging dialogue and brilliant acting, Inglorious Basterds ranks among the best films Tarantino has ever done and is one of the most entertaining movies to come out in a long time.


The first thing I thought as I watched this film was how toned down the overall intensity was in comparison to his earlier Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction, which were much more shocking, violent and fiery in their dialogues. By contrast, Inglorious Basterds is much more laid-back and relaxed in delivery, a style that recalls more of Kill Bill 2 in its slower and quieter moments, but make no mistake: when Quentin Tarantino wants to kick you in the teeth, he will. The moments of violence and intensity, although more scarce, are just as effective as they were in Pulp Fiction, and perhaps by reason of their scarcity occasionally even more so.

The big box office draw was obviously Brad Pitt as Lt. Aldo Raine, a sadistic and Nazi-hating backwoods American Army officer who delights in killing German foot soldiers. He plays the role to perfection, with obvious enthusiasm for the part. Definitely one of the most fun roles Pitt has ever taken on. Other notable performances are Christoph Waltz as Hans Landa, a charming and romantic yet psychopathic SS officer in charge of hunting down Jews hiding in France; Michael Fassbender as Lt. Archie Hicox, a British officer who assists in the Allied effort to assassinate Hitler and Diane Kruger as Bridget Von Hammersmark, a German actress secretly in league with the Allies; and finally, Melanie Laurent as Shosanna Dreyfus, a Jewish girl determined to avenge the extermination of her family at the hands of Hans Landa. Every role is played to absolute perfection, nothing more can be said.

On a slightly less enthusiastic note, this is probably the first Tarantino movie in which I've been disappointed with the character development. Of all the major characters in the movie, only one is really delved into to show why he is the way he is, Sgt. Hugo Stiglitz (played by Til Schweiger). Compared again to the character development of Reservoir Dogs, in which every major character is given full background, Inglorious Basterds is lacking.

That aside, the movie more than makes up for its shortcomings with stellar dialogue sequences and outstanding cinematography, and I really would rank this as one of the top movies of the year. Is it the best movie Quentin Tarantino has ever done? No. That honor goes to Reservoir Dogs, however, Inglorious Basterds is by far one of the most enjoyable and accessible movies he's ever crafted. Two big thumbs up and a hearty recommendation are all I can give for Inglorious Basterds.

Movie Review - Sherlock Holmes

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I was extremely excited. Guy Ritchie (director of Revolver, Snatch, Rockenrolla) and Robert Downey Jr.(Natural Born Killers, The Soloist, Tropic Thunder)? No wrong could be done with that combination. Guy Ritchie is a seasoned director and has some excellent films to his credit, and combined with Downey Jrs. immense talent I was on the verge of salivating. So was the film as good as the hype? (and there was hype a-plenty;I saw this movie advertised on the sides of those giant gas station mugs you get filled with 20 gallons of beverage for 49 cents. That's hype.)

Sadly, this movie was somewhat lacking in the amazing department. My hopes of a Snatch-esque super stylized, super fast paced, super thick plot and super snappy dialogue detective caper film were all but dashed as what I can only imagine to be Guy Ritchies desire to film a movie that actually made an impact at the box office took over. All his trademark filming techniques(multiple zigzagging plots lines, a diverse and quirky cast, odd camera angles and music choices)were exchanged for a completely...normal(for lack of a better word) type of movie, and I was sorely disappointed.

The shortcomings of lackluster cinematography was made up by the acting however; Robert Downey Jr. gives another terrific(though not brilliant) performance as the deductive Sherlock Holmes, assisted by Watson, played by Jude Law; also a solid if unamazing performance. Other roles include Lord Blackwood(Mark Strong) as the very obvious villain of the movie, and Rachel McAdams as Holmes rival/love interest Irene Adler, and both roles are well handled by the Strong and McAdams.

My biggest complaint towards the movie is one I addressed earlier: its just another normal movie, devoid of any of Guy Ritchies trademarks. Everything is GOOD, nothing is really...great. The plot is loose at best, being a simple villain-taking-over-the-world tale; at worst the plot being almost non-existent, and nothing more than a bunch of actors running through the streets of late 1800s London.

However, all this does not mean that it isn't an entertaining film. Downey Jr. and Jude Law have excellent chemistry onscreen, and the relationship between the two characters comes across as a genuine case of two very different individuals who happen to be best friends. The dialogue does pick up in spots, and every once in a while Guy Ritchie makes his presence known with some really gritty action scenes, particularly a slow-motion boxing scene that is is almost identical to a boxing scene from Snatch; but those moments are few and far between, and the movie is too long and too devoid of any real plot to hold the viewers interest between the few excellent scenes.

My final verdict is a rather unenthusiastic one; a National Treasure style plot and a overall subdued feel make this a rather disappointing movie; don't see this movie expecting anything amazing; rather, expect a somewhat disjointed, occasionally very entertaining film that well overstays its welcome.

Movie Review - The Proposition

The Proposition, directed by John Hillcoat, is the bleak, brutal and touching story of of Charlie Burns(played by Guy Pearce), who is given an impossible proposition by Captain Stanley(played by Ray Winstone), who is in charge of the local army unit: to hunt down and kill his psychopathic murderer brother, Arthur Burns(played by Danny Huston), or have his younger, mentally challenged brother, Mike Burns, hung on Christmas Day.

To be blunt, this is not a mainstream, cookie-cutter movie. It's a very long, very slow, drawn out story that takes its time getting from one place to the next. The violence, as I stated above, is brutal, at times sadistic, but comes and goes in relatively brief doses. The treatment of blacks by whites is period-accurate, which is to say it is degrading and humiliating and in a few instances violent. The dialogue can be hard to follow, as much of it is almost muttered, and the thick accents of the characters makes subtitles a near necessity for first time watchers.

However, in spite of the the movies more violent and harsh tendencies, it is at heart a morality story, and a very moving one at that. Charlie Burns relationship with his younger impaired brother Mike is very protective and caring, though not overly affectionate. Captain Stanley and his wife Martha (played by Emily Watson) share a very affectionate and loving relationship that is at times strained by Captains Stanleys duties to civilize the land. All of the acting is superb and the dialogue, though muffled and thickly accented, is outstanding.

The cinematography is one of my favorite things about the movie; the lingering shots and beautiful landscaping is nothing short of amazing; it truly showcases the Outbacks brutality, desolation and beauty.

As beautiful as the cinematography is, I beleive that the movies greatest strength lies in the music, which conveys perfectly the feeling of unease, sadness, harshness and difficulty of life in the Outback. Written and performed by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis, the music is nothing short of beautiful.

An outstanding cast, amazing cinematography, powerful story and brilliant music make The Proposition one of my all time favorite movies. A harsh look at life in one of the harshest places to live in the world, and also a softer look at love, family, morality and faith in the Australian Outback, The Proposition is a must-see movie and one of my top recommendations.